Best Headphones for Children – A Parent’s Guide to Making the Best Decision

One of the things you can expect if you have children is that at some point they will ask you to get them some headphones to work with their computers, games and music players. There are valid reasons for this, because headphones can enhance the experience with these media, but there are certain features you should look for when you shop.

A major criteria that plenty of people would not typically think of is ensuring that the headphones fit correctly. Headphones which are intended for grownups are meant for their size heads, and won’t just not fit properly on kids, they will not provide a complete spectrum of sound to them. Kids might also end up breaking headphones that are too big for their heads by repeatedly adjusting or repositioning them. To assist with this, a number of headphones made for children come with flexible head straps, which makes it simpler to get a good initial fitting, and to adjust the fit as they grow.

The second characteristic you need to look for – and the most vital – is some form of Sound Limiting Technology. Children are going to want to crank the volume up as high as they possibly can, to a volume that can quickly damage their ears and result in permanent loss of hearing. The selection of headphones should be restricted to those headphones which don’t allow this, and which include predetermined limits so that they cannot be made to surpass a volume of 80 to 85 decibels. This advice is, if anything, more important if you’re trying to find “ear buds” that are worn not over the ears but in the outer ear canal.

Durability is the next criteria in buying headphones for children. Children, particularly those on the younger side, can be hard on delicate devices, so you should not buy headphones that won’t be able to take some unintended mistreatment. You can locate information about headphones which have an established reputation for durability by consulting consumer guides or parents’ magazines. Having said that, when hunting for durability, you shouldn’t sacrifice light weight, and pick headphones that may be too heavy for kids.

No matter which brand of headphones you select, try to restrict your children’s use of them to a few hours a day. Steady sound, even through Sound Limiting Technology headphones or ear buds, can produce damage to their hearing that can appear later in life.